In the box: Roshan Abeysinghe

As a player with the Ragama Cricket Club in his home town 20 kilometres north of Colombo, Roshan Abeysinghe realised early in his 25 years as an off spinner and middle-order batsman that as a player he would never make the top flight.

So in his words he tried "the next best thing, the media".

"I was training at the indoor nets in Ragama during the 1995-96 tour of Australia when I got the chance to do studio updates on that dramatic tour," he said.

"I grabbed the chance."

He hasn't looked back since, evolving in the time since then into 'the voice of Sri Lankan cricket', covering every Test on TV or radio since the year 2000.

A committed Christian, he is quick to "thank God for his grace and opportunity" to follow so closely the sport that he loves.

Having seen so many cricket grounds around the world he nominates Lord's as his favourite but adds the Pallekele stadium in Kandy runs a close second.

"The surrounding hills of the Central Province are so beautiful,' he said.

He is quick to add that on his first visit Bellerive it has made a most positive impression.

"It's a truly beautiful ground," he said.

Roshan adds that it's not just the history of a ground or its physical surrounds that matter to him but the sense of continuing, in his own way, the great tradition of cricket broadcasting and occupying the same spaces of those who have gone before.

"I remember being in the commentary box at Headingly in Leeds," he said.

'It's was a most basic structure but I remember thinking that here I was working in the same space as Arlott and Johnston had done.

"These are moments and sentiments that I cherish."

To matters on the field and Roshan is equally as thoughtful. Our conversation on the best Sri Lankan player he has seen goes on for some time and many fabulous names come up.

But for him one player stands above the others.

"It's a difficult question but I think Sanath Jayasuriya just shades the others," he said.

"He's given so much value to Sri Lankan cricket, matching talent and achievement across Test matches and one-dayers."

For any Sri Lankan cricket follower, no matter what his or her status, the question as to their favourite moment generates a quick response - much quicker than separating Jayasuriya, Murali, Sangakarra and company.

Roshan doesn't hesitate.

"The moment Arjuna Ranatunga ran a ball to third man in the 1996 World Cup final in Lahore," he said with an air of patriotism.

"Winning that World Cup put Sri Lanka on the world cricket map. We weren't Ceylon anymore."